Sussex Branch

Network with likeminded peers and discuss best practices in the world of HR and L&D

Welcome to the Sussex Branch website. We hope you will find what you are looking for here - if not, please do get in touch and we will do our best to help.

Covering both East and West Sussex, the Sussex Branch spans a large geographic area, so we aim to offer events in a range of locations so that you can find something near to where you live or work. The majority of our members are based in the Brighton and Horsham/Crawley areas, so naturally the majority of our meetings are held there, but we do also try to get to the east and west of the area as much as we can.

Many hundreds of members already come along to our Branch events and special interest forums throughout the year. If you haven't been along for some time, or perhaps not at all, do give us a try; you will receive a warm and friendly welcome, an opportunity to network with other professionals over a sandwich and a drink and to learn something new at the same time. Why wouldn't you want to make use of such a great value, local resource?

Your Branch committee is run by members just like you, all unpaid volunteers, passionate about making sure CIPD is here for you in Sussex throughout your professional journey, be it facilitating local networking opportunities, organising great value CPD (continuing professional development) or enabling the sharing of knowledge and experience with fellow professionals. Don't forget though, it's not all about face to face meetings. Do get involved with discussions on our LinkedIn group too. Here you will find over 1000 other members you can get to know, as well as posts on updates to events, details about HR jobs in Sussex and new meeting dates for our forums and networks as they are arranged. This is also a great way to seek the advice of fellow members when you have a tricky issue to tackle - do tap into the collective knowledge and experience available within the group!

We look forward to welcoming you along to one or more of our activities soon and if you would like to make contact in the meantime please do!

About us

All our events are detailed on the 'Events' page and are free unless otherwise stated. Tea/coffee and sandwiches are available at the start of each event to give you a chance to network with other Branch members.

As well as Branch Events we run a number of Special Interest Groups for you to get involved with according to your particular interests and needs.

Learning and Development Forum

If you work in L&D or have an interest in this specialism then this is the group for you.

The Learning and Development Forum supports members working in the L&D field, either entirely or as part of their wider HR role. This is particularly helpful for professionals who feel isolated, either because they work in very small teams or alone. The Forum is open to L&D practitioners from both the client side and the independent consultant side and members span a number of specialisms within L&D. In addition, the Forum is an opportunity to share L&D skills and knowledge with other interested HR generalists – anyone in fact who is interested in this field.

The group provides a regular “space” for focused networking, sharing of best practice, updating on current trends and peer to peer support/ challenge.

Independents Forum

If you are an independent consultant then this NEW Forum is for you. The Forum has been set up to support those who are self-employed, consultants, interims, small business owners, associates, trainers or coaches.

The Forum will enable those who work independently to build a supportive community to use as a sounding board, to share ideas, knowledge and experiences and, in some cases, to find new ways to collaborate with others and support each other.

It will also provide an opportunity for networking and continuing professional development for those who often work on their own.

So if you are an independent consultant and you would like to meet up with others who face some of the same challenges that you do, please get involved with this group.

Career Transition Network

If you are in career transition for whatever reason, the Career Transition Network may be able to give you the support and direction you need. If you are…

in between roles or contracts

tackling redundancy

on maternity leave

working out your next steps

…just get in touch! Members say the Network is a chance to:

keep in touch with others on this path

share experiences, tips, contacts, strategies and support

meet other professionals with diverse backgrounds and perspectives.

The friendly, informal, small group meetings are held in a relaxed setting, usually in central Sussex or Brighton. Sometimes sessions are even held walking over the Downs on a ‘work it out’ walk!

Branch Mentoring Scheme

Please note that all available mentors have now been matched with mentees so we are unable to take any further expressions of interest at this time.